Certain devices, such as many modern fitness devices, are limited in terms of their on-board UIs. Indeed, with the miniaturization of fitness devices, display devices and/or other feedback mechanisms, such as LEDs or tactile input/output devices have been eliminated or made to be more rudimentary than prior models or earlier fitness devices. For example, earlier fitness devices may have included an appendage worn device that was comparable to a bulky wrist-worn watch, however, bracelets, arm bands and other less bulky or obtrusive devices may have minimal UIs and/or feedback mechanisms in terms of one or more of size, quantity, and/or complexity.
Often times, mobile devices, which may be wirelessly linked with said fitness devices, may serve as a UI or feedback mechanism. Unfortunately, many users often do not want to have physical possession of their mobile devices while participating in athletic activities, and if so, accessing and utilizing an “app” or other remote software implementations can be time-consuming and burdensome during the athletic activity.
Further, in group settings (either virtual or physical), when a session, class or event is about to be initiated, players, instructors, coaches, trainers and/or other individuals often don't have the time or patience to struggle with equipment issues. In this regard, instructors often have defined time slots within a workout room, and as such, they don't have the time to coordinate electronic equipment synchronization and/or serve as a mobile IT department. Prior art attempts may have focused on individually connecting fitness devices associated with a plurality of athletes with a leaderboard or system for aggregating and/or displaying athletic data. Further, this usually involves requiring the athlete to first disconnect their fitness device from other devices, such as switching the Bluetooth connection from their mobile phone or tablet. For example, Bluetooth protocol only allows a single connection at a time, so the athlete would first have to determine whether the fitness device is connected to their phone or another device, disconnect it, and then determine if it can be successfully connected to the new device.
Other problems include the potential lack of internet service by the gym or other entity proximate to the collection of users, authentication between the hardware utilized to aggregate and display the data as well as remote platforms that may be utilized to obtain data about the athletes and/or store the athletic data. Such platforms require log-in credentials of the athletes, which could be a privacy concern.